Carton



F. L, Fiox May 25, 1937;

CARTON Filed June 19, 1936 x n u yy. i

a No: wu

Patented May 25, 1937 UNITED STATES ATEN?`1 OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in cartons for holding phonograph records or record blanks, and has more particular reference to iinprovements in the type of carton disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,042,042 granted October 22, 1912 to A. M. Seeley and M. C. Durand.

As stated in the above-mentioned patent, cartons of the present type should hold the record safely and securely, and the record should at the same time be readily accessible to the user or instantly removable from the carton. However, in actual practice, it has been found that a bent spring as disclosed in the above-mentioned patent will not safely and securely hold the record so as to prevent the same from falling from the open end of the carton until it is removed therefrom by a direct longitudinal pull, and such spring will objectionably scar and mar the wall of the bore of the phonograph record or blank. It has been proposed to overcome these objections by substituting for the bent spring a record holding means consisting of a rigid or stiff inverted U-shape support shorter than the spring of said patent, and providing a plate-like rectangular rubber gripping member on the upper or intermediate portion of this support, the gripping member being of a size to engage the bore of the phonograph at its corners. While this change in the construction of the record holding means resulted in a device which operated with greater efficiency and without marring the bore of the record or blank, it was found to remain efficient only for a limited length of time due to the fact that the rubber gripping member ultimately lost considerable of its life or gripping action and had its corners permanently turned down by repeated insertion and removal of the record from the carton. With the corners of the rubber gripping member so misshapened and deteriorated, it was found to ultimately have little gripping action, with the result that the record would easily fall from the carton through the open end thereof and become broken.

It is the primary object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an improved recordholding means for cartons of the above kind, including a gripping member which will be extremely efficient in preventing accidental falling of the record from the carton, which will permit ready insertion of the record into the carton, and which will remain efficient practically indefinitely by reason of the fact that the same will not readily become misshapened or distorted and will not readily lose its resiliency or gripping action,

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a central vertical section through a carton containing a record and embodying a record-holding means constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view somewhat similar to Figure l, but with the gripping member and the support therefor broken away and in section.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the permanent bot- 15 tom member of the carton shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive; and

Figure 5 is a view somewhat similar to Figure l, illustrating a modified form of record-holding means constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the carton comprises the usual cylindrical casing I which is adapted to be closed by the annular bottom member 2, said casing l being preferably formed of a continuous piece of cardboard. The top of the casing is preferably left open as shown in Figure 1, While the lower or bottom end of the casing is rolled inwardly to form an annular bead 3, providing an integral shoulder upon which rests a permanent bottom member 4 consisting of a cardboard or other disk having a central opening consisting of a circular main portion 5 which is laterally enlarged at diametrically opposite points as indicated at 6. The lower end of the sound record or blank 'i rests upon the permanent bottom member il when enclosed within the carton, as shown in Figure l. The cylindrical casing I is preferably lined with fleece or other soft material in the usual way as indicated at 8, so that the record will not become marred, on its exterior surface when repeatedly inserted in or withdrawn from the carton. The bottom member 2 is preferably formed of tin or other metal so as to be of a permanent and light construction. Also, the bottom member 2 is provided with a cylindrical upturned flange 9 of a diameter to tightly engage the outside surface of cylindrical casing l at the bottom end of the latter, and such flange 9 is provided with 50 means for frictionally retaining the bottom member 2 upon the carton, such as the interrupted screw threads shown in the patent mentioned above and generally indicated at l0 in Figures 1 and 3. As set forth in such patent, the bot- 55 tom member 2 is forced upon the lower end of the cylindrical casing I and rotated through a partial revolution, the inclined ridges or interrupted screw threads Ill of ange 9 embedding themselves in the lower end of the cylindrical casing and thereby retaining said bottom meinber 2 in removable threaded engagement with the casing.

lVly improved means for safely and securely holding the record 'l Within the carton may consist of a rigid or stiff support II in the form of a strip of metal bent into substantially inverted U-shape form and having outturned ends I2 secured to the upper side of bottom member 2 at opposite sides of its central opening and in any suitable way such as spot welding, etc. In this Way, the support I l is positioned to extend longitudinally or upwardly within the carton for a short distance and centrally of the cylindrical casing I. The record holding means further consists of a resilient gripping member carried by the support II and including a substantially C-shaped strip I3 of spring metal fastened intermediate its ends to the upper or intermediate portion of support II so that the ends of said spring or gripping member I3 extend downwardly at the opposite side members of support II. It will be noted that the ends of gripping member or spring I3 extend from opposite sides of the support II outwardly and downwardly and then downwardly and inwardly so that the intermedim ate portions of said ends are disposed in proximity to the bore of record 'I when the latter is within the carton. 'Ihese intermediate portions of the ends of the spring or gripping member I3 are provided at their outer sides with record-engaging pads I4, preferably of rubber or other friction material for effectively engaging the bore of the record without danger of marring the same. The mentioned intermediate portions of the ends of spring or gripping member I3 may be pressed or indented outwardly as more clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3 for causing most eiective engagement of the pads I with the bore of the record. While such pads may be of any suitable or preferred construction, they are shown as portions of a tubular rubber sheath I5 slipped onto the major intermediate portion of the spring I3. Also, the gripping member is shown as secured to the support I I, merely by way of example, through the medium of a rivet I 3 passing through the sheath I5, spring I3, and the intermediate portion of support II. The purpose of laterally enlarging the opening 5 of permanent bottom member 4 as at 6, is to allow withdrawal of the record-holding means from the carton with the removable bottom member 2 when the latter is removed from the lower end of the cylindrical casing I, the lateral enlargements 6 of opening 5 providing for passage of the portions of spring I3 therethrough which are provided with the pads Ill. When removing bottom member 2, it may be turned until the ends of spring I3 are alined with the enlarged portions 6 of opening 5, proper view being afforded through the open top of cylindrical casing I when the record is removed. The removal of bottom member 2 with the record holding means enables them to be transferred as a unit from one carton to another when the first carton is worn out or becomes otherwise unsuitable for use.

It will be particularly noted that the ends of spring I3 are free or unattached to the support II so that they will readily yield inwardly and downwardly when the record 'I is inserted in the carton so as to offer little resistance to such insertion. However, if the carton is inverted, the tendency of the record l to slide out of the open end of the carton results in an outward and. longitudinal pull on the ends of spring I3 in they same direction as the record tends to move, thus increasing the gripping engagement of the gripping member with the record. In other words, the frictional engagement of pads Ill with the bore of the record causes the ends of spring I3 to move outwardly into tighter gripping engagement With the bore of the record upon tendency of the latter to shift outwardly from the carton through the normal upper open end thereof. Consequently, the record will be safely and securely held in the carton, although being readily accessible and removable from the carton when pulled outwardly therefrom by the exercise of some appreciable force on the part of the user. l

The gripping member of this invention will operate efliciently over a practically indefinite period of time, the same being not readily susceptible to loss of resiliency or gripping action or distortion through repeated use. By slightly turning the record axially when withdrawing the same from the carton, such withdrawal may be made easier and greatly facilitated, the same minimizing the increased gripping engagement of the gripping member with the bore of the record under such.

conditions. Obviously, the record will not tend to rotate or turn if tending to accidentally fall from the carton.

In the modified form of the invention shown in be welded together, and from this point the ends L" of the strip are extended outwardly and downwardly and then inwardly to provide spring members I3a at opposite sides of the support IIa whose lower terminals are free of connection with A,

said support and the bottom member 2a. Like the ends or end spring members of spring I3, the spring members I3a will readily yield inwardly to permit free insertion of the record into the carton, but will be pulled upwardly and outwardly into tight gripping engagement with the bore of the record upon outward movement of the record toward and through the open upper end of the carton. The record is thus safely and securely held in the carton against accidental displacement from the latter, and may only be withdrawn by the exercise of manual force. The spring members I 3a have tubular rubber sheaths or other suitable pads Ida on the intermediate record-bore-engaging portions thereof. Other parts shown in Figure 5 which are similar to parts shown in Figure l, are indicated by like reference numerals.

What I claim as new is:

l. As a new article of manufacture, Va bottom member for cylindrical record cartons having a central opening therein, a rigid support consisting of an inverted substantially U-shaped strip of metal extending upwardly from said bottom member and having end portions at the bottom aosncca thereof spaced a substantial distance apart and secured to said bottom member at opposite sides of the opening therein, and record-engaging means including a substantially C-shaped strip of spring metal fastened intermediate its ends to the upper or intermediate portion of said support, the ends of said spring extending outwardly and downwardly from the intermediate portion of said support for engagement with the bore of a record and being free of connection with the support and said bottom member at the terminals thereof.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a bottom member for cylindrical record cartons, a rigid support extending upwardly from said bottom member and secured to the latter, and recordholding means including a substantially C-shaped strip of spring metal fastened intermediate its ends to the upper end of said support, the ends of said spring strip being free of connection with the support and the bottom member and extending downwardly and outwardly from and at opposite sides of said support for engagement with the bore of a record.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a bottom member for cylindrical record cartons, a rigid support extending upwardly from said bottom member and secured to the latter, record-holding means including a substantially C-shaped strip of spring metal fastened intermediate its ends to the upper end of said support, the ends of said spring strip being free of connection with the support and the bottom member and extending downwardly and outwardly from and at opposite sides of said support for engagement with the bore of a record, and pads on the record-engaging portions of the ends of said spring strip.

4. In a record carton, the combination of a cylindrical cardboard casing having an open upper end and provided at the bottom end with an internal annular shoulder, a permanent bottom member consisting of a disk resting upon said shoulder and having a central opening laterally enlarged at diametrically opposite points, a detachable metallic bottom member for said casing, a rigid support secured to and rising from said detachable metallic bottom member within said casing, and record-holding means including a substantially C-shaped strip of spring metal fastened intermediate its ends to the upper end of said support, the ends of said C-shaped spring strip extending outwardly and downwardly from and at opposite sides of said support for engagement with the bore of a record inserted within the carton, the ends of said spring strip further being free of connection with the support and the detachable metallic bottom member so as to freely yield and permit free insertion of the record in the casing and so as to be automatically expanded into tight gripping engagement with the bore of the record upon tendency of the latter to move outwardly of the casing through its open upper end.

5. In a record carton, the combination of a cylindrical cardboard casing having an open upper end and provided at the bottom end with an internal annular shoulder, a permanent bottom member consisting of a disk resting upon said shoulder and having a central opening laterally enlarged at diametrically opposite points, a detachable metallic bottom member for said casing. a rigid support secured to and rising from said detachable metallic bottom member within said casing, record-holding means including a substantially O-shaped strip of spring metal fastened intermediate. its ends to the upper end of said support, the ends of said C-shaped spring strip extending outwardly and downwardly from and at opposite sides of said support for engagement with the bore of a recordwinserted Within the carton, the ends of said spring strip further being free of connection with the support and the detachable metallic bottom member so as to freely yield and permit free insertion of the record in the casing and so as to be automatically expanded into tight gripping engagement with the bore of the record upon tendency of the latter to move outwardly of the casing through its open upper end, and pads on the record-engaging portion of the ends of said spring strip.

6. In a record carton, the combination of a cylindrical casing having an open upper end and provided at its lower end with an internal shoulder, a permanent bottom member arranged Within the casing and resting upon said internal shoulder, said permanent bottom member comprising a disk having a central opening laterally enlarged at diametrically opposite points, a detachable metallic bottom member for said casing having a central opening therein, an inverted substantially U-shaped rigid support arising from said detachable metallic bottom member and having its end portions spaced apart and secured to said bottom member at opposite sides of the opening therein, and a record-holding means including a resilient substantially C-shaped strip of spring metal fastened intermediate its ends to the upper portion of said support, the ends of said strip of spring metal extending outwardly and downwardly at opposite sides of the support and being free of connection with the latter and said detachable metallic bottom member for permitting free insertion of a record in the carton and for being automatically expanded into tight gripping engagement with the bore of the record I' upon movement of said record in a direction outwardly of and through the open upper end of the casing, the lateral enlargement of the central opening in the permanent bottom member providing for passage of the ends of the C- shaped strip of sheet metal through the permanent bottom member when the detachable metallic bottom member is removed from the casing.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a bottom member for cylindrical record cartons, a rigid support extending upwardly from said bottom member and secured to the latter, and recordholding means including a strip of spring metal fastened to the upper end of said support, said spring strip being extended downwardly from said support for engagement with the bore of a record and having its lower terminal free of connection with the support and the bottom member.

8. In a record carton, the combination of a cylindrical cardboard casing having an open upper end, a detachable metallic bottom member for said casing, a rigid support secured to and rising from said detachable metallic bottom member within said casing, and record-holding means including a strip of spring metal fastened to the upper end of said support, an end of said spring strip extending outwardly and downwardly from and at one side of said support for engagement with the bore of a record inserted within the carton, said end of said spring strip further being free of connection with the support and the detachable metallic bottom member so as to freely yield and permit free inser- 10 resilient record-holding means including a striplike metal member carried by the upper end of said support, said metal member being normally extended downwardly and outwardly from the upper end of said support for engagement with the bore of a record at a point below said upper end of the support and having-its lower terminal free of connection with the'support and the bottom member.

FREDERICK L. FOX. 

